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Broncos, as a group, won't be back to work for a while

Broncos QB Tim Tebow has indicated that he plans to spend a good portion of the offseason at team headquarters. (Denver Post file photo)

Today's question about the Broncos comes from Doug Newton in Parker.

Q: Do the NFL's new offseason rules prevent the Broncos from using the team's weight room, practice fields and film rooms until April?

A: Organized team activities, known in the NFL as OTAs, have been significantly reduced. The conditioning programs also have been reduced.

But a player is allowed to use his team's facilities on his own time. A player just can't have any contact with the coaching staff, outside of casual conversation, when the OTAs and conditioning programs aren't underway. Under the OTA umbrella, on-field practices have been cut from 14 to 10.

Teams usually began their offseason conditioning programs in March. Now they start in mid-April.

All of these rules are part of the NFL's new collective bargaining agreement. It's a 10-year deal, so teams had better get used to the new offseason rules. They're not going away anytime soon.

Players are encouraged to be at team headquarters as much as possible during the offseason. That hasn't changed.

When the Broncos open their offseason conditioning program in April, Tim Tebow and his teammates can spend up to four hours per day — on the field and in meetings — with the coaches four days a week. Players must have three days off each week during that time.

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Quarterbacks have a different offseason schedule simply because of the study time involved. The Broncos want Tebow to watch and study this season's game video to help him improve. This is the most important offseason of his career, and he has said that he plans to spend a lot of it at team headquarters.

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